Sinclair Robertson with his once- in- a- lifetime catch.

After travelling for 78 hours, local business man, Sinclair Robertson from S. & J. D. Robertson caught three sea trout, weighing over 40lbs (13lbs 4oz, 12lbs 10oz and 14lbs 4oz).

Having left Orkney on a Monday afternoon, following delays in flights, he arrived in the Falklands, caught a connecting flight to West Falklands, and then took a two-hour car journey to The Sound, Hill Cove, where the fish were caught, without a landing net and with a fly of his own making.

S. & J. D. Robertson have oil, hotel, tourism and retail interests in the Falklands.

At the High Court in Glasgow, on Friday, a serving soldier denied murdering a waiter in an Indian restaurant in Orkney 13 years ago.

Michael Ross, 29, of Inverness, is accused of entering the Mumutaz Indian Tandoori restaurant in Bridge Street, Kirkwall, on June 2, 1994, with his face masked and shooting 26-year-old Shamsudden Mahmood in the head.

Click here for full story

A year-long visitor survey has been commissioned by the three main bodies responsible for supporting and promoting tourism in Orkney - HIE Orkney, Orkney Islands Council and VisitOrkney.

The survey will run from October, 2008, until September, 2009, and aims to supply information about visitors and their experience in the county.

This, in turn, will help establish the effectiveness of current tourism policy and practice in the islands, and identify further areas which could help in the sustainable growth of the tourist industry in Orkney.

Shetland-based consultancy company, AB Associates, who specialise in both rural and tourism consultancy work, have been commissioned to undertake the project.

NHS Orkney has urged parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against measles, after an increasing number of cases were confirmed across Scotland.

Graham Wharton, of NHS Orkney, said there have been seven confirmed cases, and 14 probable, in Midlothian and Dumbartonshire since the start of February. In Glasgow, two cases were confirmed, with six probable cases.

"Measles is highly contagious and easily spread from person to person and area to area. We would strongly recommend that parents who have not yet had their children immunised should contact their GP or health visitor to arrange vaccination."

During Prime Minister's Question Time, on Wednesday, Northern isles MP, Alistair Carmichael, criticised the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, over the Government¹s "continued neglect" of maritime and coastguard workers..

He said: "For months the Government has been warned that continued unfair treatment of staff in the Maritime Coastguard Agency would lead to strike action and last week, for the first time ever, it happened. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, but next time we might not be so lucky."

Mr Brown replied: "I understand that the management remain very keen to talk to the unions on this very issue, to ensure the situation is resolved as soon as possible."

Syed Suhail M. Shah

An international student, studying in Orkney, has been chosen as Scotland's regional winner in the British Council's International Student Awards 2008.

Syed Suhail M. Shah, 29, from Pakistan, came to Orkney in November to study for a PhD at Orkney College's agronomy institute, where he is carrying out research into Orkney's traditional bere barley.

He is one of 12 students to be selected for the very final stage of the awards. More than 1,600 students from 125 countries entered, and he was selected as the Scotland winner, having progressed through three rounds of judging to, date.

The final awards ceremony will be held in London on April 23.

A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal after a woman was processed by the police for alleged drink-driving.

The 21-year-old woman, driving a Toyota Starlet, was stopped on the A965 Kirkwall to Stromness road about 2am on Thursday morning,

People in Orkney who usually vote by post or proxy are being advised to look out for a letter from the Electoral Registration Office asking for their signature and date of birth.

New rules designed to increase the safety and security of votes cast when the elector is not physically visiting the polling place, mean voters should return the form as soon as possible to the local Electoral Registration Officer to ensure they can vote.

Anyone who is in doubt as to whether or not they should have received a letter should contact the local Electoral Registration Officer on 876222, or by e-mailing ero@orkney.gov.uk.

An online archive of material relating to the First World War will collect material from Orkney people next week.

The online Great War Archive will allow people to submit copies of pictures, diaries, poetry, stories or anything else relating to the war. On March 17 to 21, staff and experts will be on hand with computers at the Orkney Library and Archive to help people make submissions.

The government-funded project is being led by Oxford University. The information can be viewed online at www.thegreatwararchive.org and the final version will be launched on November 11, the 90th anniversary of the Armistice.

You may not immediately link the Republic of Croatia and Orkney, but both have contributed to finding a new gene for gout.

Dr Jim Wilson, of the ORCADES study, said: "We have found a new gene for gout, which is a painful and increasingly common arthritis caused by the level of uric acid in the blood being so high that crystals form in the joints.

"This is a pretty big finding and it is great that people in Orkney have been able to contribute to this."

The University of Edinburgh run two studies which are essentially identical, one in the Dalmatian islands of Croatia and ORCADES, from Orkney.

Disappointment has been expressed by a local action group that its bid for £2 million of government funding has resulted in an allocation to Orkney of just £510,000.

In comparison, the Western Isles received £940,000 and Argyll and Bute were allocated £2.33 million from the LEADER programme.

Phyllis Harvey, Orkney Islands Council¹s EU Liaison Officer, said the county¹s action group will now meet to discuss how they will proceed with the planned projects with only £85,000 per annum for the next six years.

Last year¹s Orkney Folk Festival encouraged some 750 visitors to the county, generating between £180,000-£340,000 for the local economy.

That¹s according to information before the Kirkwall Community Council on Monday night in a letter from the festival¹s treasurer and secretary, Gavin Cullen. The festival committee were applying for a donation for this year¹s event.

Community council members approved a grant of £150.

The visitor numbers and financial figures were the result of a market research survey, commissioned by the festival committee last year.

On a visit to the islands this week, the chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service has admitted that shortcomings in the service need to be addressed.

Kevin Doran acknowledged the degree of concern felt by Orcadians over the loss of a locally-based aircraft and the lack of confidence in the air ambulance set-up since the start of the new contract.

A 16-point action plan is now being drawn up on how improvements will be made to the service.

Mr Doran has pledged to return to the county in six months to see if the system has improved.

Kirkwall Community Council members have agreed to commit £1,000 from their own coffers towards the cost of putting a sculpture of Earl Rognvald on the Kirk Green.

At their meeting on Monday night, members were told that their application for £5,000 for seedcorn funding had been approved, in principle, by the council.

Community council chairman, Spencer Rosie, said the creation of a statue of Earl Rognvald - founder of St Magnus Cathedral - was wholly dependent on getting funding approval from the Scottish Arts Council.

A national newspaper report that people are deserting Birmingham for Orkney, may not be the case after all.

The Birmingham Mail claims that more than one in seven people who moved to Kirkwall, in the second half of last year, were from there.

A spokeswoman from Orkney Islands Council said: "The figures they¹ve quoted are for a half year and for Kirkwall only.

"Given that the entire number moving to Orkney in 2005-2006 was 194 for the whole year, if you break that figure down for half a year and centre it in Kirkwall only, then we might just be talking about two families."

An Orkney beer has won a top award at a national brewing competition. Dark Munro won the gold medal in the Milds category of the Small Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) National Ales Competition.

The ale was announced as the winner following the annual SIBA conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The gold medal comes on the back of a Bronze medal for Orkney¹s Swannay Brewery in the Milds category at the Campaign for Real Ale National Winter Ales Festival in January and also winning Champion Beer of Scotland in June, 2007.

Orkney will get £510,000 in Leader funding and this could be doubled by pubic and private match funding.

The Scottish Government announced the allocation, which is the first funding to be released under the new Scottish rural development programme.

It will be allocated through a new local action group given the task of deciding on projects which are community driven and have a wide community benefit.

Recent public meetings were told the money was for projects put forward by community groups large or small and could be used for such things as improvements to community halls or community energy projects.

An established women¹s clothes shop in Kirkwall, The Stables, at 25 Albert Street, has changed hands.

The shop which has been run by Lisa Donaldson for 19 years has been taken over by Jenna Flett, who will move her own business, Transition into the premises.

Jenna launched Transition at 39 Albert Street two years ago. That building will now house Impulse - a new shop selling underwear, accessories and footwear.

Transition is due to reopen in the former Stables building this Saturday, after some refurbishment.

Mrs Donaldson¹s other shop, Sclater¹s Menswear will remain under her management.

Glaitness School is working towards publishing its own television news report on the Internet this week, as part of a project by the BBC.

The school is the only primary school of the 300 schools involved in the project and was allowed to take part because the school already produces a web-based video of school news for parents.

The school must complete news reports by 2pm on Thursday, to be published on their website by 4pm. To keep up with progress and see the final report, follow the links from: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/school_report/default.stm

Kirkwall police have made an arrest in connection with an alleged serious sexual assault in the Quoybanks Crescent area of the town on Sunday, December 16.

Extensive investigations were carried out by officers following the alleged attack on a 19-year-old woman who was walking home after a night out.

Police declined to confirm whether the arrested person was male or female. Detective Inspector Mark Mackay said: "Inquiries into this matter are now complete and no other people are being sought in relation to this incident.

"Police would additionally like to thank members of the public in Orkney for their co-operation and assistance during this investigation."

A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Orkney pets can benefit from a nationwide health campaign taking place this month, with a full vaccination course for cats, dogs and rabbits available for the price of a booster, as part of National Vaccination Month www.vaccinationmonth.co.uk.

Kate Carmichael, of vets Flett & Carmichael, said Orkney animals were at risk because many pets travelled in and out of Orkney and a large percentage were not protected.

“Serious outbreaks of the killer Parvovirus happened in areas of Scotland last year, including the north-east and Aberdeen. Leptospirosis, or Weil’s disease, which can also infect people, distemper in seals, myxomatosis, cat flu and feline leukaemia are also always a threat in Orkney," she said.

Internet users in Orkney are lagging behind the rest of the country, according to figures released by BT.

According to the statistics, more than half the homes and businesses in Shetland, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland are now taking advantage of ADSL broadband.

Shetland is setting the hottest pace with a take up rate of 57.3 per cent, just ahead of Aberdeenshire on 56.6 per cent. Moray has surfed to third spot on 54 per cent, followed by Highland on 52.4 per cent and the Isles of Scilly on 50.4 per cent.

Orkney ties with the Borders for sixth place, on exactly 50 per cent.

Businesses in Orkney were invited to an event highlighting the benefits of offering work experience places to local pupils.

The event, which took place at Orkney College showcased current examples of school-business partnerships and considered opportunities for development.

The event was organised as part of ‘Determined to Succeed’ which is a national strategy to deliver enterprise in education.

A number of local businesses discussed their own experiences at the event, including Drever and Heddle and Tait and Style.